Boys and More Boys

A new baby born in my extended family today.

And yes, he is a boy.

Of course he is a boy. A lovely boy. Congratulations to my brother and his wife.

I was reading some family history to the boys tonight. We started with my paternal grandfather's parents and worked backwards. He was one of five boys (two daughters died before age 1). He fathered 10 children, 7 of whom were boys. Of his grandchildren, 2/3 of them are boys. It is even more slanted if you just look at his daughters. The three daughters have nine children together. Only ONE of them is a girl.

Now to my generation. My parents had an even split, two boys, two girls, but they have 10 grandsons and two granddaughters. My sister and I only have boys (Six between the ages of 3 and 11). The daughters belong to my brothers. Of all my female cousins (the 1/3 minority that we are) in that line we have only two girls and something like 16 boys. Several of us have ONLY boys. Two others had daughters that died within a month or two of birth.

I don't really think doing the math at this point is very productive, but if it seems a little bit tilted in favor of the boys you wouldn't be wrong.

The same well-meaning sister who has been telling me once a month for four years that I need a daughter spoke up again on Sunday.

I won't scream.

I won't.

But I might want to.

I don't blame anybody or anything for my pretty firm belief that there isn't a daughter waiting for me. I think in my case it might have plenty to do with genetics. I don't mean my husband's seeming x-chromosome problem. On his side of the family things are about as even as can be. Each of his siblings has at least one of each gender (provided the one on the way didn't have her ultrasound read incorrectly). It might just be a body chemistry thing. Maybe I am too logical. Maybe I don't have enough faith.

Maybe . . . maybe . . . maybe. . .

Maybe I've just learned to be content with what I have.